Author Archives: steph

Mama’s hands

March 7, 2012 – 10:38 am

So anyone who knows us knows, from the tired and haggard looks in our eyes, that Alex doesn’t sleep well.

We recently found a (temporary) solution: Alex would wake around 2am and we would bring him in to our bed. He would circle around a few times, find the right place then go back to sleep for the night. We were all getting sleep and it was sweet to feel his little hands or feet pressed in to us. This solution, however, began to lose its appeal when he stopped sleeping and began playing for an hour at 2am. Time for a new solution.

We talked (albeit SO briefly) that Alex has to spend the night in his crib. That sounded great until 3am when the screaming started. At 4am – it was definitely not sounding fun. After minimal discussion again, I went in his room.

With my pillow in hand, I went to Alex’s room and lay on the floor, putting my hand between the crib slats to touch him. As he realized I was there, he immediately stopped crying and dropped down to find my hand. Then… then he lay down, wiggling around so his face was on my hand. His breathing slowed, he began to relax. He turned his head so the other side of his face was on my hand. Deeper breaths. Slowing. And then, he was back asleep. He stayed asleep in his crib until 7:30 this morning.

Sometimes, a boy just needs his Mama’s hands.

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Prayers and Sweet Dreams

February 21, 2012 – 7:59 pm

Tonight, in typical fashion, Cole was stalling the inevitable bed time. In not so typical fashion, he had a few surprises up his sleeve.

As Cole and Daddy were finishing stories, I came in to give hugs and kisses good night.
Daddy: Cole, it’s time for prayers
Cole: Dear Jesus, thank you SO MUCH for my birthday, Amen.
Daddy: Wow –
Cole: Here’s my next prayer. Dear Jesus, thank you SO MUCH for cake, and candles, and party and for sitting down. Amen.
Daddy (who’s trying to hide his laughter): Umm-
Cole: Here’s my last prayer. Dear Jesus, thank you for mommy and daddy and alex. Thank you for Papa and Grandma and Papa and Conna. Thank you for my whole family. Thank you for a good night sleep. I love you Jesus, Amen.

(sigh)

Mommy: Ok Cole, hugs and kisses.
Cole grabs me around the neck and wrestles me to the bed where he begins planting big, wet, mildly inappropriate kisses on my mouth.
Mommy: Enough! Good night Cole, I love you!

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What NOT to tell your future wife

January 25, 2012 – 9:18 pm

3:48am
Alex screaming

4:12am
Alex on verge of sleep
Cole in doorway screaming

4:37
Alex asleep in crib
Cole and Mommy walking to Mom and Dad’s room

“Mommy, what’s that?”
“What’s what?
“What’s that on your bottom?”
“What? There’s nothing on my bottom.”
“What’s that on your bottom?”
“Cole, there’s nothing there. Just underwear.”
“WOW, Mommy. They’re SOOOOOOOO big!”

(sigh)

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Mommy kisses…kinda

January 22, 2012 – 4:26 pm

Cole has just discovered the magical healing power of Mommy kisses.  A boo-boos large and small, Mommy needs to kiss to make things good again.  Being a boy who is particular and very specific, these kisses must be precisely located.  No kissing the foot if it’s the 3rd toe that hurts!  And so it was that I found myself in an uncomfortable “position.”

Cole was jumping (as he does many times a day).  After one jump his foot hurt, so we located the exact spot and healed it with a kiss.

A few jumps later, Cole fell with an ungraceful moment of nearly doing the splits.  “Kiss it Mommy, my leg hurts.”  “Ok,” I replied and kissed his knee.  “Noooooo – it hurts here” he complained and rubbed his groin.  Uh-oh.  “I’ll kiss it here,” I said and kissed his leg again…you know, on the thigh.  “NOOOOOO Mommy, that’s not it.  Kiss it here.” Again, the groping of the crouch/groin.  Hmmm.  “Ok Cole,” I said and proceeded to lean down (but staying a few inches away and praying he didn’t realize) and proceed to plant an air kiss 4 inches away from the offending injury.  “All better Mommy.”  Phew.

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Fast seat

January 22, 2012 – 4:14 pm

Alex is getting big.  Really big.  He has now outgrown his infant car seat and needed a new “convertible” car seat that can be either forward or backward facing.   After much discussion we decided Alex would inherit Cole’s seat and Cole would get a new seat.

The big day finally arrived and with it, the new seat.  Daddy installed the seat in the car.  The next morning Cole was told he had a surprise.  After breakfast, Daddy took Cole to the garage for his first peak of the new seat and began talking it up.  “You have a new seat.  It’s red!  It’s a racing seat!  It’s a super, super fast seat!  It’s so fast!  Want to sit in it?

“No,” Cole said.
“No?”
“No, I don’t want a new seat.”

And with that, we headed inside and Daddy left for work.  We got ready for our day and a few hours later we were leaving to take Cole to school (Kindering).  After loading Alex, it was Cole’s turn.

“I don’t go,” he moaned.  “No, I don’t go.  I don’t sit.”
“Cole, what’s wrong?  You don’t like your seat?  We need to go to school.”  I proceeded to lift him up and begin wrestling him in to the new (with tags still on) red, racing seat.

A small, plaintive voice.  “Mommy, go slow.”
“What Baby?”
“Go slow Mommy.  I don’t go fast.”
“Ok Buddy, I’ll go slow.  And you’ll go slow in your red racing seat.  It won’t go fast today.”
“Ok,” was his reply.

We forget sometimes how literal he is!

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